The Serpent Power — Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) (1924)
3 The Supreme Father gives His illumination (Prakāsha). She, the Vimarshashakti, creates, but not alone. (Vimarshashaktih prakā- shātmanā paramashivena sāmarasya-vishvam srijati na tu kevalā— (Yoginīhridaya Tantra).
4 In Mātri-bhāva, according to the Sanskrit term. Philosophically also this is sound, for all that man knows (outside ecstasy or Samādhi) is the Mother in Her form as the world. The Supreme Shakti, who is not different from Shiva (Parāshaktishivābhinnā), is embodied in every order of thing (Sarvakramasharīrinī—Yoginīhridaya).
5 It is said that “there is nothing more tender than Prakriti,” who serves Purusha in every way in his enjoyment, finally giving Mukti or liberation by retiring from Him.
In the Mantra side of the Tantra Shāstra, dealing with Mantra and its origin, these two Tattvas emanating from Shakti are from the sound side known as Nāda and Bindu. Parashiva and Parāshakti are motionless (Nihspanda) and soundless (Nihshabda).
Nāda is the first produced movement in the ideating cosmic consciousness leading up to the Sound-Brahman (Shabdabrahman), whence all ideas, the language in which they are expressed (Shabda), and the objects (Artha) which they denote, are derived.
Bindu literally means a point and the dot (Anusvāra), which denotes¹ in Sanskrit the nasal breathing (°). It is placed in the Chandrabindu nasal breathing above Nāda (ँ). In its technical Mantra sense it denotes that state of active Consciousness or Shakti in which the “I” or illuminating aspect of Consciousness identifies itself with the total “This” as the yet dualistically unmanifest state of the universe.² It subjectifies the “This,” thereby becoming a point (Bindu) of consciousness with it. When Consciousness apprehends an object as different from itself it sees that object as extended in space. But when that object is completely subjectified it is experienced as an unextended point. This is the universe-experience of the Lord experiencer as Bindu.³
Where does the Universe go at dissolution? It is withdrawn into that Shakti which projected it. It collapses, so to speak, into a mathematical point without any magnitude
1 Lit. What goes with (anu) with vowel sound (Svāra or Svara),
2 For until the operation of Māyā at a later stage the “This” is still experienced as part of the “I”. Therefore there is no manifestation or dualism.
3 For the same reason Shakti is then said to be Ghanībhūtā, which is literally massive or condensed. It is that state of gathered-up power which immediately precedes the burgeoning forth (Sphurana) of the universe.
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whatever.¹ This is the Shivabindu, which again is withdrawn into the Shiva-Shakti-Tattva which produced it. It is conceived that round the Shiva Bindu there is coiled Shakti, just as in the earth-centre called Mūlādhāra Chakra in the human body a serpent clings round the self-produced Phallus (Svayambhulinga). This coiled Shakti may be conceived as a mathematical line, also without magnitude, which, being everywhere in contact with the point round which it is coiled, is compressed together with it, and forms therefore also one and the same point. There is one indivisible unity of dual aspect which is figured also in the Tantras² as a grain of gram (Chanaka), which has two seeds so closely joined as to look as one surrounded by an outer sheath.³
To revert to the former simile, the Shakti coiled round Shiva, making one point (Bindu) with it, is Kundalinī Shakti. This word comes form the word Kundala or “a coil” “a bangle”. She is spoken of as coiled because She is likened to a serpent (Bhujanggī), which, when resting and sleeping, lies coiled; and because the nature of Her power is spiraline, manifesting itself as such in the worlds—the spheroids or “eggs of Brahmā” (Brahmānda), and in their circular or revolving orbits and in other ways. Thus the Tantras speak of the development of the straight line (Rijurekhā) from the point which, when it has gone its length as a point, is turned (Vakrarekhā angkushākārā) by the force of the spiraline sack of Māyā in which it works so as to form a figure of two dimensions, which again is
1 The imagery, like all of its kind, is necessarily imperfect; for such a point, though it has no magnitude, is assumed to have a position. Here there is none, for we are in spacelessness.
2 See the Commentary, post.
3 The Supreme Father gives His illumination (Prakāsha). She, the Vimarshashakti, creates, but not alone. (Vimarshashaktih prakā- shātmanā paramashivena sāmarasya-vishvam srijati na tu kevalā— (Yoginīhridaya Tantra).
4 In Mātri-bhāva, according to the Sanskrit term. Philosophically also this is sound, for all that man knows (outside ecstasy or Samādhi) is the Mother in Her form as the world. The Supreme Shakti, who is not different from Shiva (Parāshaktishivābhinnā), is embodied in every order of thing (Sarvakramasharīrinī—Yoginīhridaya).
5 It is said that “there is nothing more tender than Prakriti,” who serves Purusha in every way in his enjoyment, finally giving Mukti or liberation by retiring from Him.
In the Mantra side of the Tantra Shāstra, dealing with Mantra and its origin, these two Tattvas emanating from Shakti are from the sound side known as Nāda and Bindu. Parashiva and Parāshakti are motionless (Nihspanda) and soundless (Nihshabda).
Nāda is the first produced movement in the ideating cosmic consciousness leading up to the Sound-Brahman (Shabdabrahman), whence all ideas, the language in which they are expressed (Shabda), and the objects (Artha) which they denote, are derived.
Bindu literally means a point and the dot (Anusvāra), which denotes¹ in Sanskrit the nasal breathing (°). It is placed in the Chandrabindu nasal breathing above Nāda (ँ). In its technical Mantra sense it denotes that state of active Consciousness or Shakti in which the “I” or illuminating aspect of Consciousness identifies itself with the total “This” as the yet dualistically unmanifest state of the universe.² It subjectifies the “This,” thereby becoming a point (Bindu) of consciousness with it. When Consciousness apprehends an object as different from itself it sees that object as extended in space. But when that object is completely subjectified it is experienced as an unextended point. This is the universe-experience of the Lord experiencer as Bindu.³
Where does the Universe go at dissolution? It is withdrawn into that Shakti which projected it. It collapses, so to speak, into a mathematical point without any magnitude
1 Lit. What goes with (anu) with vowel sound (Svāra or Svara),
2 For until the operation of Māyā at a later stage the “This” is still experienced as part of the “I”. Therefore there is no manifestation or dualism.
3 For the same reason Shakti is then said to be Ghanībhūtā, which is literally massive or condensed. It is that state of gathered-up power which immediately precedes the burgeoning forth (Sphurana) of the universe.
p. 35
whatever.¹ This is the Shivabindu, which again is withdrawn into the Shiva-Shakti-Tattva which produced it. It is conceived that round the Shiva Bindu there is coiled Shakti, just as in the earth-centre called Mūlādhāra Chakra in the human body a serpent clings round the self-produced Phallus (Svayambhulinga). This coiled Shakti may be conceived as a mathematical line, also without magnitude, which, being everywhere in contact with the point round which it is coiled, is compressed together with it, and forms therefore also one and the same point. There is one indivisible unity of dual aspect which is figured also in the Tantras² as a grain of gram (Chanaka), which has two seeds so closely joined as to look as one surrounded by an outer sheath.³
To revert to the former simile, the Shakti coiled round Shiva, making one point (Bindu) with it, is Kundalinī Shakti. This word comes form the word Kundala or “a coil” “a bangle”. She is spoken of as coiled because She is likened to a serpent (Bhujanggī), which, when resting and sleeping, lies coiled; and because the nature of Her power is spiraline, manifesting itself as such in the worlds—the spheroids or “eggs of Brahmā” (Brahmānda), and in their circular or revolving orbits and in other ways. Thus the Tantras speak of the development of the straight line (Rijurekhā) from the point which, when it has gone its length as a point, is turned (Vakrarekhā angkushākārā) by the force of the spiraline sack of Māyā in which it works so as to form a figure of two dimensions, which again is
1 The imagery, like all of its kind, is necessarily imperfect; for such a point, though it has no magnitude, is assumed to have a position. Here there is none, for we are in spacelessness.
2 See the Commentary, post.
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